Lawrence Campsite

Located in Kaweka Forest Park in the Hawke’s Bay region

This is a basic campsite in Hawke's Bay. A pleasant setting to camp or picnic in. There are day and overnight walks from here, as well as fishing and hunting, or canoeing on the Tutaekuri River.

Fees

Free. 

From Napier-Taihape Rd turn into Lawrence Rd near Kuripapango and travel 7km to road end. 4WD access to campsite. No campervan or motor home access. Last 500m of access road is unsuitable for all 2WD vehicles. Logging trucks on road, take great care.

A forestry gate has been installed on Lawrence Road to allow for closure in the event of unsafe road conditions. If the road is closed, an alert will be displayed on this page.  

Kaweka Forest Park access conditions

We recommend 4WD vehicles to reduce wear on the road and safe travel.

  • Lotkow Road: The river crossings are regularly changing, check before crossing.
  • Lakes carpark is accessible via Kuripapango road. The previous access Castle Rock road is now closed due to ongoing forestry operations.
  • Lawrence Carpark access road: The last 600 m of the road is steep and not recommended for 2WD vehicles - a parking space is available before the descent. The Lawrence swing bridge has been removed.
  • Mackintosh car park is currently closed due to ongoing forestry operations. A new parking location can be located at a skid site near the closed gate (end of Kuripapango Road), this will add on 500 m walking to reach the start of the track.
  • Whittle Road: Be aware of trucks using the quarry. Give them right of way where possible. 

Location

Approximately 1½ hours west of Napier.

NZTM2000 coordinates: E1896496, N5636374
Latitude: -39.37122668, Longitude: 176.44171824

Fires not permitted at any time

There are day and overnight walks from here as well as fishing and hunting, or canoeing and swimming on Tutaekuri River.